Author: laughterandlifeblog

Now that the Holidays are over, I am finally getting around to using my Christmas and Birthday gifts ! I of course enjoy everything I got this year (and every year) but I have a few things that I have been obsessed with in the last week or two and I wanted to share them with you all.

The first one that I love is my “You are a Badass” book ! I am sure that many of you have seen this book floating around on the internet but it is totally awesome and such a game changer ! I am loving the way she writes and how motivating the book has been in just the first few chapters. I can’t wait to read more ! You can find your own copy HERE

Of course I got makeup palettes and they are awesome ! I have 2 favorites so far. One is the Naked Basics palette; which is the square one with several basic neutral shades. I love this and have been using it a lot. I also received a palette from the brand ProFusion, which I am pretty sure was a Christmas special at Target. If I am correct, the whole thing was less than $10 and I am in love with it ! The colors are awesome ! They are huge pans and the color pay off is great ! There is quiet a bit of fall out from the shadows but this is not an issue for me ! You can find the Naked Basics palette HERE and the ProFusion one HERE.

I also got a new oil diffuser and it is the cutest thing. It’s a USB port diffuser so you can utilize it from any USB charger that you have. It’s tiny and diffuses for 4 hours. I love that it’s portable and small for traveling. I also got some essential oil books, my favorite is the “Essential Oils for Mama and Baby” book. As I’ve been looking through it, I have found lots of helpful recipes for many of my pregnancy concerns ! It’s a great book for me now and will be great for when my second baby arrives. Below are the links for the diffuser and book.

I love the brand Soap and Glory and have recently started to use a lot of their products. I received 2 sets for Christmas that include body butters, scrubs, sprays and body washes ! They all smell so good and there is something for everything between the two sets. I like that the products are smaller sizes and I can repurchase the bigger ones if I decide that I love them. The gift sets are no longer available but you can check out their entire line of products on Ulta.com.

I asked for a new perfume for Christmas and picked out Daisy Dream by Marc Jacobs. All I have to say is that it smells amazing and I have been wearing it non-stop !

Another gift on my wish list this year was an Air Fryer and my mother did not disappoint! I have used it only one time so far but I am so excited and have been pinning recipes and all sorts of things to try ! Plus it looks great on my counter ! I tried fried ravioli and they were delicious and much less greasy then deep frying would be ! Below is a link to similar one, they offer various sizes for all your needs.

My last favorite thing this year was Marshall’s gift cards. I have recently fell in love with Marshall’s and TJ Maxx and I find myself there all the time. Gift cards to these places will be so great because I am literally there almost every weekend. For those of you that don’t know, they have so many great things including makeup, shoes, clothing, home decor and everything else you can think of ! I linked the website for Marshall’s below. Unfortunately, you can not shop online because the variety at each store is different but you can locate your closest store.

I’m sure you all have seen the 2018 resolution posts ! This is typically the time of year where everyone vows to do something for the new year whether it be lose weight, exercise more, spend less, etc. I am not usually one to make a New Years resolution because I know that I never stick to it ! I am however working this year on my 30 before 30 bucket list which is a bunch of small goals that I want to accomplish in 2018. You can check it out here: 30 Before 30 if you haven’t already read it !

I’m taking a different approach to the New Year posts and instead sharing 5 things that I learned in 2017. I feel like it is important to look ahead but also important to reflect on the last year! So here they are (in no particular order) my top 5 things I learned . .

1.) Experiences are more valuable than money in the bank. This is a tough one because while I do hope to live a debt free more frugal life someday, I have realized that the experiences within the last year mean so much more to me ! I am so incredibly thankful for every experience we have gotten to do as a family. It is so much more meaningful to me to visit places, people, etc than to have a large bank account stored up somewhere. I have come to realize in the last year that enjoying time with my husband, son and other family is what will last in my mind. There is one particular example that I can think of where my husband and I enjoyed a nice dinner just the two of us at a sweet little Italian place, planned entirely by him. It was a little bit more expensive than typical dinners we eat but it was so fun and such an exciting night. I will remember that when we are 60 and will not wish I had that $100 is my bank account instead !

2.) Children are Unpredictable, Exciting and Grow Way too Fast. This is something I am learning every day. I am amazed at how quickly a year goes by when you have children. There are days that require more strength and patience than I physically have but the good days make it all worth while. I love the unpredictability of what comes out of Layton’s mouth, mostly good, sometimes bad but it usually can always make me laugh. Realizing that you shape the way your child turns out is such an incredible feeling. It’s totally scary but also so wonderful to watch them grow and learn.

3.) Some people care more about themselves than others. This is not something new that I have learned but it continues to amaze me. There are so many people in life that care nothing about others. I have experienced this with strangers, and people close to me and every time I am just shocked. I constantly try to help others and do things for other people but I am again realizing that some people just do not function like that. The amount of times in 2017 where someone has NOT held or opened the door for me when I was holding Layton and grocery bags and what felt like a million other things would likely add up to 1,000. Is being nice and considerate really that hard ? The plus side to seeing these people all around me, is realizing my parents did a great job raising me to be better than that !

4.) Family makes each day better. I can not say this one enough. The amount of times that family has been there when I needed them is overwhelming. Not only in times of need either, just having a great family makes every day better. I love that I get to enjoy this life with all of them so close. There are so many experiences I get to have that lots of others don’t because of my family and I love knowing that I can always count on them for pretty much anything.

5.) Do it. Whatever it is, do it. This includes going places, trying new things, making stuff. Always do it. You will absolutely regret not doing something. I have said no so many times to things that I should have said yes to and I am now starting to realize the benefit to saying yes. If you want it, do it. Don’t get stuck in this I shouldn’t or I can’t mentality. The best thing about life is getting to do anything you want pretty much whenever you want. For me in 2017, this has been going to Disney World for the first time, eating French fries 2 times in one day because I could, purchasing my essential oils starter kit and starting this blog ! I just said yes and did it and it has been absolutely fantastic!

I love a good Would You Rather Debate so I thought I would include a fun one for all of you to enjoy. I answered the questions and had my husband answer the questions. For any of you that know us, you know that we are total opposites most of the time and you can see that in some of our responses to these questions !

Enjoy !

Would you rather get the best gift you ever received again or get a new gift (but have no idea if it will be good or bad)?

Tabitha- New Gift because getting the same thing again would be boring and I like being surprised.

Cole – New Gift because I already have the best gift I ever received why would I want another one.

Would you rather spend the holidays with your family or with three celebrities (you can choose the celebrities)?

T- With my family for sure ! Celebrities would know nothing about our family traditions and the fun things we do.

I am going to start my posts this week with a gift guide dedicated to stocking stuffers for men, women and kids. I love stockings and I think they are maybe my favorite part of Christmas morning. Growing up, my mom always had our stockings jam packed with the coolest little gadgets, toys, candies, and gift cards.

Here are some suggestions for those on your list!

Men

I mostly geared these towards my husband and the woodsy outdoor man but you can purchase these for any man in your life including a dad or brother.

Wallet – There are tons and tons of options for wallets available almost anywhere and everywhere. I find this to be a good option every year because most wallets become worn. The new thing is that most wallets have RFID protection which makes it harder for people to steal information from the cards you keep inside.

Pocket Knife – There are again a ton of options for what type and color knife you want to pick. You can be as high tech or low tech with this gift as you want. My husband prefers a very minimal knife and doesn’t need all the extras. Also feel free to personalize your knife with a name or phrase to make it more personal.

Beard Oil- I actually just made a homemade beard oil for Cole earlier this week. The link I posted has a lot of different recipes so you can DIY and make your own. I used a dropper bottle with some orange, frankincense and lavender essential oils and coconut oil as the carrier. If you aren’t into DIY’ing you can find several sites with beard products for you to purchase.

Jerky – This website has every kind of jerky you could want including beef, chicken and turkey. They also carry exotic types like alligator and some types of fish jerky. Check them out if the man in your life is into trying different tastes and flavors.

Belt – My husband is constantly needing a belt. He has either misplaced it or it’s broken. I think the more belts the better. This is a nice brown one but again you can choose which type and style best fits your man.

Women

Some of these ideas you could use for teens as well like the bracelets, nail polish and hair care/makeup goodies.

Nail Polish – Most women use nail polish at some point in their life. I found this great little set of mini polishes that would fit perfectly in a stocking. You can buy single polishes too in all sorts of colors. These would make great gifts for teens and girls as well.

Candles – Yankee Candle has some great votive scents for $1 each ! You can stock up on some favorites, tor ry some new scents. I also found some car air fresheners and room sprays you could add to stockings as well.

Bracelets – Any small little jewelry is always a great stocking stuffer. I personally love the Alex and Ani bracelets and rings. You can usually find one for every person on your list. They have these beautiful gift sets available right now for the holidays and you actually can get 2 bracelets together.

Travel Size Products – I am a huge fan of skincare, hair care and makeup. You can find tons of different travel size products at the checkout at Ulta to fill a stocking. I found this perfect little travel size set of dry bar hair care products including a shampoo, conditioner, detangler and texture spray. You could also include any of the women’s favorite makeup products as most of them are small and compact.

Kitchen Gadgets – For the woman that loves to cook or eat there are so many options for kitchen gadgets. I included a link to Bed, Bath and Beyond for an avocado slicer and pitter. If you have anyone that likes to cook you could also include a corn on the cob stripper, a lemon juicer, etc.

Wine Charms – If you have a wine lover in your life, you could fill their stocking with lots of goodies. I linked the wine glass charms from amazon which I think make a cute stuffer idea. You can also include wine stoppers or even a bottle of their favorite wine !

Kids

I think kids are the easiest to buy stocking stuffers for but I hate to include things that will never get used. Below are some ideas for kids of all ages, boys and girls. I didn’t link any of these items because most of them you can find at a local Target or Walmart and you may even be able to pick some up at Dollar Tree.

Bubbles

Snacks- Food pouches, fruit snacks, granola bars or even candy if you want to give that to your child.

Coloring Books

Crayons, Markers

Toothbrush

Matchbox Cars

Barbies

Hair Accessories

Mittens or Gloves

A New Hat

Socks

Stickers

Travel Size Games

Play-Doh

Books or Magazines for older kids

Ear Buds

Jump Rope

Key Chains

Figurines from favorite shows and movies

Hope this post helps some of you with some last minute ideas. Remember only 7 more days until Christmas !!

Today is my 29th Birthday ! I can not believe that in one year I will be 30 years old. I’m sure this age change is hitting my parents much harder than me but 30 is still a big jump from 29.

At 29, I feel accomplished. I feel proud of how much I have achieved in my life and all the things I have experienced. I have graduated high school, went on to college and earned my Master’s Degree. I have met the love of my life, gotten married and started our family with one little babe and one on the way. I have a full time job, a beautiful home and 2 adorably crazy dogs. I have traveled to numerous places, mostly in the US, but also to some warm tropical locations. I have experienced loss but also the greatest love I could ever have. I have a family that is wonderful and supportive not only that I was born into but that I married into. I can not help but feel extremely grateful for everything that 29 years on this earth has given me. While I have been busy with all these things, I have decided to make my 29th year even bigger and better. I created a list of 30 bucket list things I want to accomplish before I turn 30 next year.

Take an International Trip

This is mostly to go somewhere tropical again but with my husband this time. He’s never been and I would love to experience it with him by my side ! I am hoping by 35 to go somewhere bigger like Italy when things are more stable for us personally and financially ( a new baby on the way doesn’t allow for much extra travel and spending.)

Read 50 books this year

I love reading but always lose the motivation to do it. I have several new books coming and some new series I am ready to tackle in the next year.

Pay Off Something

This is general because we have several things that need to be paid off and really paying off any one of them within the next year will be a big accomplishment !

Visit a new State

I have been to 16 states either from traveling to them or traveling thru them. I am hoping to get to at least one new one in the next year.

Grow my Blog

I have found myself learning more and more about blogging and am interested in growing my blog to reach more people and cover more topics.

Volunteer

I am not sure where or what I want to volunteer for but I know that I want to make it more of a regular thing in my life. I often do a lot for different things here and there but I am hoping to do some more permanent volunteering possibly with the humane society or a homeless shelter.

Attend Yoga Classes

This is a big out of my comfort zone thing but I would love to consistently attend yoga classes and learn so much more just about the practice.

Learn a new Skill

I am again not sure what I want to learn but I have several things in mind that I want to try and just love that I can always be learning something new.

Open a college savings account for both kids

We have a savings account for Layton but I want to specifically open one for both kids and set up consistent deposits into these accounts ! College is not cheap and we already have one kiddo just 15 years away from going !

Run a 10k

I have already done a 5k so I am just expanding to a 10k. I don’t know if this one will happen but I am setting that as a goal to motivate me to run again after baby gets here.

Get caught up on Layton’s Scrapbook, Start Baby’s Scrapbook

I am so far behind in Layton’s scrapbook, I think I have until he was 5 months old. I need to get caught up and to try and stay ahead of the new baby’s scrapbook.

Attend a Penguins Game

This one is mostly for my hubby but I would love to go too ! Plus visiting the city will be a plus.

Eat Something I never Would

This is a big one and a big opportunity for me. I typically eat the same 15 foods all the time and never try anything new. I want to break out of my shell and try something not typical for me !

Attend a Conference

I’m not sure if I want to attend a conference for work or something else but this kind of relates back to that learning and I enjoy just being able to learn new things all the time.

Take a Girls Getaway

Even if it’s just for a weekend, I want to plan some time with my best gals to relax and have fun !

Learn to Ski

I have been wanting to do this for years and again just never have done it. I am hoping that my sweet husband can teach me in the next year.

Purge my Closet

I have so many clothes, like way too many to ever use. I have even started to take over Cole’s side. I need to purge and clean it out ! I will likely never wear 50% of those things again so there is no reason to keep it.

Take a Cooking Class

I like cooking but I basically know just the typical things. I want to take a cooking class to learn new techniques or new recipes.

Join a Club or a Group

With this, I was mainly hoping to join some sort of mommy group or something to keep me and the kids busy when Cole travels.

Be the first person to Apologize

Totally out of my comfort zone, I like being stubborn and often don’t apologize. I need to learn to say sorry more.

Pay it Forward

This one speaks for itself, I believe that good things happen to good people so I want to pay if forward.

Write in a Journal

I am hoping to start this in the new year. I have such an awful memory so keeping a journal is a big thing I want to start doing. I want to have something to read when I am old and gray and can’t remember anything.

Do Something for 30 Days in a Row

It tasks 30 days to create a habit so that is my goal with this one. Doing something consistently creates better habits.

Tell my Husband 10 nice things every week

I often get caught up in being a mother that I forget to be a wife. My husband is a saint for dealing with me and he deserves to hear nice things every week.

Go on a spontaneous adventure

Because who doesn’t love the idea of an unplanned trip somewhere unexpected. Plus I could stand to be a little less of a planner sometimes.

Start a Collection

Find something to collect and spend time trying to expand that collection.

Take Care of My Body

I’m hoping to become more aware of products i’m using and things I am putting in my body. We only get one body for the rest of our life !

Help Someone when they need it Most

I generally try to help anyone and everyone but this is just my way of trying to help those that need it the most. Be kind to others, you never know what they are going through.

Go to Church

I don’t go often but want to start getting the kids involved and want to make the change for myself !

Write a Letter to myself to open at 40 !

Just for fun, I want to see how 10 years will change me.

There you have it ! A challenge to myself. A year full of bucket list tasks to accomplish and cross off ! I’ll keep you updated in the next few months to see how it’s going !

Like this:

If you are interested in a DIY Christmas present or a decoration for winter you should check out this easy snowman craft. My mom ran a craft group at our church demonstrating how to make this adorable snowman and it was super easy and would make a great gift for anyone on your list.

Items Needed:

2 grapevine wreaths of different sizes

white spray paint

battery operated string of lights

black felt

ribbon

various winter flowers and decorations

white zip ties

hot glue

Steps:

1.) Paint grapevine wreaths with spray paint and let dry completely. Ours were already pre-painted to save time at the craft night.

2.) Secure grapevine wreaths together using zip ties. Be careful not to make ties too tight or the snowman will not hang straight.

3.) Wrap and secure string of lights and battery pack. You can again use zip ties and wrap the lights around the wreaths to get what ever look you want.

4.) Cut the piece of felt into the shape of a top hat. Copy the same shape to make 2 pieces exactly the same. Hot glue edges of the felt, leaving one side open. Stuff with either stuffing or a piece of cardboard to prevent the hat from being too floppy. You can decorate the hat with ribbon and flowers as you would like and then hot glue to the snowman’s head.

5.) Decorate the snowman with various winter greens and flowers. You can add ribbon for a scarf or make a bow. This part is really up to you, how you want to decorate. We chose to hot glue all of our decorations to secure to the wreaths.

6.) After you decorate, you can add another zip tie at the top to make a hanger. Then you are all finished !

Like this:

Take 2 or is this 3 ! Anyway I’m back and ready to share some great blogs with all of you again. Life has once again taken over and somewhere between the jobs, vacations, raising a toddler, and finding out I am pregnant I’ve lost time and motivation to blog.

I’ve been spending time lately thinking of things I want to talk about, write about and things I want to accomplish and I am ready to jump back in to this ! I’ve made some goals for the 3 month and 6 month timeline of this blog and I am ready to stick to it.

December is a super busy month for us at the Seitzinger house. We have birthdays, traditions and other celebrations that keep us busy from December 1st through to the New Year. On top of all of our usual craziness, I will be entering my 3rd trimester ! I can’t believe I am almost there already ! This pregnancy has been worse physically and mentally for me but has also gone much quicker than my first.

While we are busy preparing for Baby #2, we are also going to be celebrating Layton’s 3rd Birthday later this month ! I can not believe that he is turning 3 already. I feel like I blinked and we now have this little human who keeps us on our toes.

Coming in the next few weeks I plan to have some Christmas craft posts, Christmas cookies with recipes, birthday party planning and some gift guides ! Keep an eye out for those and welcome back to my crazy life !